Page 29 of The Reverse Cinderella

“What, no cheery greeting?” Dix asked. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Text or call your boyfriend,” Piaget said suddenly. “Tell him to come here.”

“Why?” She stacked paper cups. “He’s not my boyfriend. I just tell him to do things for me and he does. Like a minion.”

“Well, tell him you want him at the café.”

“Again, why?”

“So I can ambush him,” Piaget smiled insincerely at a customer. “Hi, how can I help you today?”

“This sounds promising,” Dix said as she whipped out her phone and began texting. When a customer at her till cleared his throat, she gave him a dirty look. “I’m on break.”

She wasn’t but the ploy worked. The disgruntled customer joined Piaget’s line. She served three customers and then Dix announced that she could help the next person in line which happened to be her original customer. He muttered something about reporting her to her supervisor. Dix ignored the remark and served him his requested items.

When the customers were gone, Dix began sorting through the fridge, looking for any out of date items. “What did he do?”

“You’ll hear all about it when Adam comes,” Piaget said grimly.

“Adam is here,” Adam puffed a little as he approached the counter. “I came as fast as I could. You said it was an emergency?”

Suddenly furious, Piaget grabbed Adam’s shirt and hauled him as far across the counter as his girth would allow her to. She got right up in his face. “Did you know?”

“Whoa!” Adam’s eyes were real big in surprise.

“Know what?” Dix leaned both elbows on the counter, propped her chin in her hand and watched fascinated. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this way, Adam. Better to fess up and deal than to make her any more mad.”

“Fess up and deal? Who says that?” Adam gave her a strange look and tried to untangle Piaget’s fists from the collar of his shirt.

“I think I was parroting my parents…” Dix shuddered. “What is he supposed to know?”

Piaget unclenched her teeth and her hands, allowing Adam to have his shirt back. “Did you know about Max’s situation?”

Adam froze from straightening out his shirt. He tried to be innocent, “What situation?”

“The one where he doesn’t have a house. Or an apartment. Or a room,” Piaget leaned across the counter and Adam backed away. “The situation where he lives out of a cardboard box!”

“Oh, that situation,” Adam said weakly.

“What?” asked Dix. “Seriously? Max is homeless?”

“You knew!” Piaget accused, pointing a finger at him.

“I told you, I met him on Elm Street,” he shrugged. “I didn’t think it would matter.”

“Oh, it matters!” Dix and Piaget exclaimed at the same time.

“Max is a nice guy,” Adam protested. “He doesn’t do drugs, he barely drinks, he’s kind and he bothered to be my friend when he didn’t have to. He’s currently homeless. So what? When I get out of school I’m going to have debts to pay too. He’s paying back this loan and he’s got a plan to stay on track. He’ll be done before the year is over. I thought you liked him.”

“I did. I do,” Piaget sighed. “I just wish you would have told me.”

“Would you have gone out with him?” Adam asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. Probably not if she was being truthful to herself. Who was she kidding? “No, I wouldn’t have. When you date someone you expect that they will be employed and have a place of residence.”

“You would have missed out on a really great guy,” Adam pointed out.

“And you wondered why I thought Adam was gay?” Dix raised an eyebrow at Piaget.